Category Archives: Saints

(Future St.) Bartolo Longo and the Luminous Mysteries

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I am personally intrigued by one of the Church’a newest saints. I mentioned in yesterday’s post that Blessed Bartolo Longo will be canonized (no date set, yet.) He was a satanist, turned Catholic, and not only that, spread devotion to the Rosary so much that Pope St. John Paul II referred to him as the “Apostle of the Rosary.” He also developed a new devotional practice called “The Fifteen Saturdays of the Holy Rosary.”

I looked up information on him today and found this tidbit:

From Bartolo Longo — School of Faith: (Emphasis is mine.)

Bartolo Longo had the habit of meditating on the whole life of Jesus and His teachings, not limiting his meditation in the Rosary to the 15 mysteries…Hmm… sound familiar….And this practice of Bl. Bartolo inspired St. John Paul II to add the Luminous Mysteries to the Rosary. Regarding the influence of Bl. Bartolo, JPII, in his letter on the Rosary writes:

In the spiritual journey of the Rosary, based on the constant contemplation – in Mary’s company – of the face of Christ, this demanding ideal of being conformed to him is pursued through an association which could be described in terms of friendship. We are thereby enabled to enter naturally into Christ’s life and as it were to share his deepest feelings. In this regard Blessed Bartolo Longo has written: “Just as two friends, frequently in each other’s company, tend to develop similar habits, so too, by holding conversation with Jesus and Mary, by meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary and by living the same life in Holy Communion, (that is, in friendship with them) we can become, to the extent of our openness, similar to them and can learn from these supreme models a life of humility, poverty, hiddenness, patience and perfection”. Rosarium 15

Who said personal relationships end with death? Bl. Bartolo’s pious devotion to the Rosary and his meditations on the life of Christ “in Mary’s company” influenced a future Pope to transform one of the most fundamental Catholic devotions. 

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Novena to Sts. Francisco and Jacinta Marto

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February 20th is the Feast Day for Sts. Francisco and Jacinta Marto, two of the seers who witnessed the Apparitions of Our Lady at Fatima, Portugal in 1917.

A novena to them begins today, the 11th (or, if you are reading this on the 12th, you can begin it then – it will end right on their feast day.)

Youy can find the Novena at: Novena to Sts. Francisco and Jacinta Marto at Pray More Novenas

Why are they important to us Sober Catholics? If you read about them (Fatima post archive) and The Three Fatima Seers (for the latter link, please scroll way down untill you get to the parts about Sts. Francisco and Jacinta.) You will learn that they were deeply affected by the vision of Hell and that many sinners go there because of sins of impurity (sexual sins in addition to immodest dress.) They were also dedicated to offering up their prayers and sufferings in reparation for the sins of those on the path to Hell.

Given the fluid and imperfect morality of many in early recovery (understandable in light of all of the ‘new feelings’ and ‘new emotions’ to cope with) as well as impure behavior during the period of active addiction, it may be good idea for us to add these saints to our repertiore of heavenly friends. Not just for ourselves, but for others still suffering.

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I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Novena for alcoholics to St. Onesimus begins!

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From an upcoming book I am writing:

St. Onesimus was mentioned in St. Paul’s Letter to Philemon. He was a slave who escaped and was later baptized, and served St. Paul before being sent back to his master. St. Onesimus’s faith in the Gospel of Jesus, preached by St. Paul, overcame an obvious reluctance to return to Philemon. His story can inspire alcoholics and addicts, who often struggle with doing what they often rather not do. St. Onesimus should be considered the patron saint of those who need courage to overcome their reluctance or natural aversion to doing something. 

And since his feast day is February 16th, this means that a novena to him begins either today, February 7th, or tomorrow, the 8th. Here is a prayer that In wrote for that “upcoming book.”

St. Onesimus, disciple and servant of St. Paul, you discovered the liberating graces of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Asked to return to a situation you would rather have avoided, please intercede on behalf of all alcoholics and addicts and show them how the courage of the Gospel can give them the strength and fortitude to do the rightful things they’d rather not do.

From an earlier post on St. Onesimus: 

In St. Paul’s Letter to Philemon, the Apostle reveals that Onesimus, a slave of Philemon who escaped, possibly with stolen property of his master’s, has been with him for some time and has been of valuable service. Onesimus has also been baptized and as such is now a brother in Christ to Paul and Philemon, as the latter is also a Christian. However Paul is convinced that due to the Christian charity that Philemon has shown in the past, he will take back Onesimus and greet him as a brother, equal in dignity and will not punish Onesimus or re-enslave him.

And so Onesimus is sent back to Philemon by Paul, with this Letter as a sort of greeting and passage.

I’ve always been intrigued by this. Imagine you’re Onesimus. You’ve been a slave. There must have been a reason why you escaped. Was Philemon cruel? Or did you just have an instinctive aversion to being considered property of another? You just saw an opportunity to leave and took it? Anyway, the punishment for escaped slaves was most likely death. Probably painful and not quick if you’re also guilty of theft. And now your new friend, whom you’ve been serving and who has treated you like an equal, a person, is sending you back to your old master. With full confidence that Philemon’s Christianity is all that is standing between you and a painful termination.

Would you want to return?

I didn’t think so. Me neither.

But Onesimus did. He probably did not go willingly, but apparently his faith in the Gospel of Jesus that Paul preached was enough to convince him that it is the right thing to do. So Onesimus’ faith overcame his possible very strong natural lack of inclination to return.

I think for that reason St. Onesimus should be of interest to alcoholics and addicts. Not that he was one, but we all do not want to do the things that we have to. Our addictive personality may make this disinclination stronger in us than in most people. “Normal” people can overcome unwillingness seemingly by just going ahead and doing the thing. But we have to use our spiritual toolkit to convince ourselves to “get going” and do the thing. We have our daily meditations, slogans and other aids to get us to do things that other people just do.

St. Onesimus can be our aid in this. Although I don’t think he is the patron saint of anything, he should be the Patron Saint of People Who Really Do Not Want to Do the Things That They Really Have to Do. ( I have to find a shorter, catchier term. “Patron Saint for People Who need Courage?” Still rather long…)

Read more on Saint Onesimus at SQPN.

Onesimus

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I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

St. Odilia, patroness of the blind and those with eye problems

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Not too long ago I chanced upon a prayer card for St. Odilia, and this card indicated that she is a patron saint for those with eye problems and diseases. Since I had cataract surgery two years ago and am still troubled by floaters, flashes and require the need for frequent periodic visits to my retina specialist (who’s worried about me,) I added the prayer on this card to my daily routine.

Odilia Aquisition.

This is it:

Prayer to Saint Odilia 

O God, Who in Your Kindness

Did give us St. Odilia

Virgin and Martyr, as the

Protectress of the Order

Of the Holy Cross and

The Patroness of the eyes

And afflicted, grant us

We humbly beseech You

To be protected, through her

Intercession, from the darkness

Of ignorance and sin and to

Be cured from the blindness

of the eyes and other bodily

Infirmities.

Through Him,

Who is the Light and Life

Of the World, Jesus Christ,

Your Son, Our Lord

Amen.

And then, not too long after that, I chanced upon a novena booklet to her. The novena is said twice monthly on the 5th and 17th, with the national annual one on July 10th, ending the feast day of July 18 (see note at the end of this post). You can find it online here: Novena to St. Odilia

About St. Odilia :

Patron saint of the blind, Saint Odilia of Alsace was born blind at Oberheim in the Vosges Mountains around the year 660 to a noble family. She was given to a peasant family to raise due to her disability. She regained sight when touched by St. Erhard of Regensburg during her baptism at age 12. Note by Paulcoholic: St. Erhard’s Feast day is today, January 8.)

Her brother wanted her back to place in a strategic marriage. Angered by this, her father killed the brother who was miraculously brought back to life by Odilia. Her father pursued her, but abandoned his quest when she disappeared in a cave that opened suddenly in the mountains.

Odilia founded Hohenburg Abbey. She died of natural causes on Dec. 13, 720 at Niedermunster, Mount Sainte Odile and was buried near the Odilienberg convent church chapel. She often is depicted as an abbess praying at an alter or as a woman with two books for eyes.

The article on her on Wikipedia mentioned:

As the patroness of ocular afflictions and ear diseases, St. Odile is often depicted with a pair of eyes on a book…

I had originally read that as saying she “is ofen depicted with a pair of books on her eyes,” which made her cooler beyond belief for me! 

NOTE ON HER FEAST DAY: I found that she has two feasts, one on December 13th, which is usually celebrated as the feast of St. Lucy, the saint primarily regarded as being the patron saint of those with eye problems; and the other, noted above, on July 18. I asked the AI search thingy on my browser “Why is that?” and it replied:

St. Odilia is traditionally celebrated on December 13th because this is the date of her death, but some regions or liturgical calendars may also commemorate her on July 18th, which is often linked to the transfer of her relics or a local tradition of celebrating her feast day on that date; essentially, the discrepancy arises from different historical events associated with her veneration. 

Key points about St. Odilia’s feast days:

December 13th:

This is the most widely recognized feast day for St. Odilia as it marks the anniversary of her death. 

July 18th:

Some regions, particularly in areas where her relics are venerated, may celebrate her feast day on this date due to the transfer of her relics or local tradition. 

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

St. Jude Thaddeus, Apostle and patron saint of alcoholics and addicts

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Today (Oct. 28) is the feast day of St. Jude Thaddeus (it’s also shared with St. Simon the Zealot, but St. Jude is the subject of this post.)

St. Jude was one of the Apostles of Our Lord and is the author of the Epistle of Jude in the New Testament. He is often called the “brother of Our Lord,” but this is an extended meaning of the term “brother,” in reality Jude was the cousin of Jesus as Semitic languages lack the word for “cousin.” He is often depicted with having a flame about his head; this symbolizes his presence at the first Pentecost and also distinguishes him from Judas Iscariot, the traitor of Jesus, who is quite likely covered in flames of a different sort. St. Jude is also often depicted with a plate or shield with Jesus’ image on it; legend has that he carried this with him and it healed people.

He was martyred by beheading circa 65AD.

I’ve never had all that much of a devotion to St. Jude, mainly because there is so much pop Catholic cultural “stuff” about him. Prayer cards and booklets and so on readily available in parishes, items in the classified sections of newspapers in response to favors granted (and that you are guaranteed a favorable response to your St. Jude novena if you promise to publish the novena for nine consecutive days. This is borderline superstitious as prayer doesn’t really work that way.) All this served to be a little “off-putting” for me, and despite having tons of these prayer cards stashed in a wooden box where I keep excess pious items, I never gave him much thought. 

Until yesterday and today. I have been trying to recruit more saints and blesseds to intercede for us alcoholics. For that reason, as well as that I am compiling a prayer book for sober Catholics and I want it to exceed expectations by having numerous saints in there that people do not know about (or who are not typically associated with ex-drunks; St. Dismas is one. ) While I was pondering him yesterday, St. Rita of Cascia also came to mind as she’s important to me (there is a point to this, please bear with me.) She is known as the patronness of impossible cases, just like St. Jude. (Maybe that’s another reason why I never developed much of a devotion to him?) But yesterday I got to thinking about St. Jude, and decided that another saint dedicated to helping hopeless cases could work. He and St. Rita could team up. Based on where I’m at right now (more on that later) I decided to think about cultivating a relationship with him. And I let that slide until today. 

And so I looked through that wooden box where I’ve kept all those “excess pious items” and found a bunch of prayer cards. I read them over and they hit me. Yes, I need his help. AND I can begin blogging about him now and then and perhaps those of you who do not have a devotion to him can see the value in it. 

And so I just recruited St. Jude to be an advocate and patron saint of alcoholics and addicts. The thought occurred to me that what with all the devotions surrounding him regarding being the patron saint of hopeless and desperate cases, he’d be a perfect intercessor for us. Now we alcoholics and addicts have TWO Apostles in our corner, the other being St. Matthias.

I mentioned a few paragraphs above about “where I’m at.” Due to a variety of circumstances, things are a bit stressed financially at the moment, although they should improve come Springtime when Social Security begins for me and my wife and I begin the process of relocating to a more affordable residence. If you’d like to help out by assisting in bridging the gap between now and then, you can do that in two ways:

One, by paypalling me whatever you can spare at: PayPal Paul Sofranko. Thank you! (It is NOT tax-deductible. It wouldn’t be an act of charity, then.) You can also mail a check, payable to: Paul Sofranko; and send it to: P.O. Box 358; North Boston, NY 14110.

Two: by purchasing my books and online products. You can purchase for yourself or multiple copies for others that might be interested. My new book, “The Sober Catholic Way” comes as an ebook for Amazon Kindle, or as a paperback from Amazon. If you prefer Barnes and Noble, then here is the link for a paperback; and if you have a B&N Nook, here is the Nook purchase link. 

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It is also now available at numerous other ebook retailers like Apple Books and Smashwords. You might also try this Universal Book Link: click and then select the logo of your fave online bookshop.

Click on this page to discover where you can buy The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts. 

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It’s available through Amazon, B&N and Apple, as well as Smashwords and other retailers. 

The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics is also available; that page tells you all the places you can buy it!

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Are you creative-minded? Know people who are? Then Building a Civilization of Love: A Call to Creative Catholics is my new book exhorting Catholics to apply their faith to change the culture for the better!

 

“Building a Civilization of Love: A Call to Creative Catholics” is a call to arms, or rather, a call to pens, paintbrushes, and video cameras, for creative Catholics to take up St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe’s call to infiltrate pop culture and help alleviate the ills that pervade contemporary society. St. Maximilian saw back in the 1920s how the use of cinema, radio, and mass-market books was corrupting society. He thought that those same tools could be used as a countercultural force to overcome this corruption. 

Furthermore, it explains through the example of three critical apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Guadalupe, Lourdes, and Fatima how she herself suggested strategies and alternatives to the dehumanizing and increasingly pagan contemporary culture we have today.

“Building a Civilization of Love: A Call to Creative Catholics” concludes by showing how the Catholic Faith can be used to provide a road map out of our current morass and a blueprint to build a more just and fair society constructed according to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy and other elements of traditional Catholic Social Teachings.

Get it for your Amazon Kindle through this link!

Prefer the paperback? Get it through this link!

Are you a happy Sober Catholic? Then Shop Sober Catholic! That page offers a selction from the many other products, such as T-shirts, mugs, rosary cases and zippered book cases, stickers for your laptop, smartphone cases, and much more! You can see the entire product line at The Sober Catholic Pixels Shop!

I just added some new products, including some featureing St. Jude and a prayer I wrote for alcoholcs and addicts! (It may not be available, yet, so please check back later. Actually, I will probably blog about it when it hits the general public.)

Thank you for reading this far, as well as for whatever assistance you can provide. It is greatly appreciated and I will add you to my prayers.

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Devotion to St. Dismas

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A little while ago I wrote about St. Dismas, the “Good Thief.”  This is another post on him, as part of my promise to him to help spread his devotion. 

So I took a look around the Internet and found this bit of history of him, along with a “Good Thief Prayer.”

There is even more information on St. Dismas over at Pray More Novenas: Novena to St. Dismas. 

While looking up stuff, I found that I had written about him way back in the early days of this blog. Take a look at “Remember Me…”

As I find more stuff on the Good Thief, I’ll post more; if he interests you, bookmark the St. Dismas Post Archives.

Why should I write about him? Like I said in the post linked to in the first sentence:

I think St. Dismas would be a great saint for us alcoholics and addicts to know. He left behind no writings and nothing for certain is known about him apart from the Gospel accounts. But, he was a ‘last minute,’ ‘deathbed’ conversion. And he led a life of sin, some say he was a robber, others a revolutionary. These do not contradict each other; revolutionaries often commit crimes to serve the rebel cause. But the point I am trying to make is that at the very end, when he was facing eternity, he grasped salvation from the lips of the Saviour. There is hope for everyone. Maybe pray to St. Dismas for the conversion of another whom you feel may have too ‘hard a heart’ to convert? Many prisoners in jail are alcoholics and addicts. Conversion is difficult in that environment; perhaps St. Dismas can do what others cannot. 

His feast day is March 25, the traditional date for the Crucifixion. 

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Feast of St. Matthias, Apostle

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Today is the feast of St. Matthias, the Apostle who was selectef to replace Judas after the traitor committed suicide. 

I discovered about six years ago that he is a patron of alcoholics and reformed alcoholics. I suppose the difference is the former are still in the cups while the latter are in recovery.

This is what I wrote in 2018:

Today is the feast of St. Matthias, a disciple of Jesus who was selected to replace Judas Iscariot.

I read today in my Laudate app on my Kindle Fire that he is a patron of alcoholics. Wow, we have an apostle who is our patron?! I had to look that up!

Although St. Matthias left behind no existing writings, (all works attributed to him are regarded as having been written by heretics who borrowed his name to lend authenticity to their errors,) several of his teachings while he preached in Ethiopia and elsewhere have been quoted by several Church Fathers, especially Clement of Alexandria. They refer to the need to “combat the flesh” which is subject to many temptations and errors. The flesh must be mortified so that we can enjoy the workings of the Holy Spirit.

The one problem that I have with any of this is that the sources all cite works that are possibly either apocryphal or outright heretical. Even Clement of Alexandria is suspect, having been on the Roman calendar until being removed from it 500 years ago due to suspicions.

Anyway, there isn’t anything wrong with mortification, especially if care is done to avoid excesses. The emphasis on the flesh in teachings attributed to St. Matthias appear to be influenced by Gnosticism, which held that flesh and matter were evil. Setting that aside, many online Catholic resources of solid orthodoxy accept his patronage of alcoholics (someone’s gotta look after us 😉 ) and thus I think “It can’t hurt.” 🙂

And so we alcoholics and addicts have an Apostle to call our very own.

This is a quote attributed to him:

It behooves us to combat the flesh, and make use of it, without pampering it by unlawful gratifications. As to the soul, we must develop her power by faith and knowledge.

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

The Sign of the Cross Apostolate

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 I have been delving deeper into EWTN’s programming since I posted the other day about Mother Angelica is as helpful and inspiring today as she was decades ago. I have also begun exploring their programming on Lourdes (an obvious devotion for anyone who is an alcoholic and addict or is otherwise afflicted with physical and emotional maladies.) I found this series from a few short years ago: My Lourdes Faith Journey. It is like a companion to this book: Everyday Miracles Of Lourdes – Twenty Extraordinary Experiences Along The Way To The Grotto

Both are products of the work of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospitality North American Volunteers. Many of the chapters of the book serve as episodes of the “My Lourdes Faith Journey” program. One in particular stood out for me. At the end of Episode 5- Jamie Jensen, Mr Jensen (a quadriplegic who’s been to Lourdes well over a dozen times and serves on the Board of Advisors to the Hospitality NA Volunteers group) casually mentioned about a “Sign of the Cross Apostolate.” I couldn’t find any website, not even a page on the Volunteers Hospitality  site, but that might be because it’s very simple and probably spreads by word of mouth by those who participate in the Volunteers Hospitality pilgimages. 

Here’s some background: Our Lady of Lourdes North American Volunteers is an apostolate dedicated to arranging pilgrimages to Lourdes for North Americans who need to immerse themselves in the baths, visit the grotto, and obtain a physical, mental or spiritual healing. They are based in Syracuse, NY (not too far from my hometown of Oneida!) The book, “Everyday Miracles of Lourdes” details 21 stories of healing and conversion. The EWTN series “My Lourdes Faith Journey,” like I said above, is about many of those stories. Marlene Watkins, the host of the show and author of the book, interviews the pilgrims. It’s quite a wonderful, uplifting experience. 

Now, about the Sign of the Cross Apostolate. Mr. Jensen refers to it near the end of the episode he’s featured on. Since he is a quadriplegic, he cannot physically make the Sign of the Cross. People have to do it for him. He said in the book’s chapter on him as well as on the show, that if he could  move his arms only once, it would be to make the Sign of the Cross. 

The Sign of the Cross is an important part of the Lourdes devotion because St. Bernadette said that it is the path to Heaven when done with devotion and piety. The Sign of the Cross is also important when you consider the words:

“In the Name of the Father,

and of the Son,

and of the Holy Spirit. Amen””

Whenever you pray ‘In the name of,’ such as praying in the Name of Jesus (“In Jesus’ Name!”) and so forth, you are submitted to the authority contained in that name. In essence, when  making the Sign of the Cross, you are inviting the Will of God into your life and and are subjecting your prayers to His authority. You may get the things you prayed for or you may not. It’s all up to whether it’s a part of God’s Will for you. So, when you make the Sign of the Cross, you are inviting the Trinity. (I think you are also inviting the Blessed Mother in since being the Spouse of the Holy Spirit, she is an integral part of the Trinity. St. Maximilian Kolbe wrote extensively on her ‘Quasi-Trinitarian participation in a quasi-hypostatic union’ – or something like that – with the Trinity since she is the Daughter of God the Father, Mother of God the Son, and Spouse of the Holy Spirit.) 

Many people cannot make the Sign of the Cross because of their physical disability. Many people cannot do it in certain countries because it’ll mean imprisonment or death. This kind of shamed me (not a bad thing; the world can use a greater awareness of ‘shame’) since I am a rather casual Sign of the Cross maker. 

THAT is the Sign of the Cross Apostolate. Making the Sign of the Cross for those who cannot. That’s it. No special prayers or writings or devotions. Just make the Sign of the Cross for those who cannot. 

So, every time I make the Sign of the Cross, whether in private or in public (a courageous act!) I will do it with this in mind. Not only for my salvation, as per St. Bernadette’s conviction, but for all of those who cannot do it for whatever reason. 

You should too! Spread the word about this!

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

“Life of Matt Talbot,” by Sir Joseph Aloysius Glynn

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While looking randomly around CatholicSaintsInfo for random information on random saints, I ran across a free download of an ebook on the Venerable Matt Talbot! Entitled, “Life of Matt Talbot,” by Sir Joseph Aloysius Glynn:

Cover Life of Matt Talbot

 

The text of these files is taken from the book Life of Matt Talbot, by Sir Joseph Aloysius Glynn, first published in 1928. The edition used was printed by the Catholic Truth Society of Ireland in 1942.

Source:

CatholicSaints.Info » Blog Archive » Life of Matt Talbot, by Sir Joseph Aloysius Glynn

For the link to download it, go here: LINK TO THE DOWNLOAD OPTIONS

Please note the first option didn’t work, but the download link to the Google Docs and the Archive.org link works.

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

St.Jerome and the Immaculate Heart of Mary

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For this Immaculate Heart Saturday, I found some connections to the saint whose feast day today is. September 30th is the feast of St. Jerome, a Doctor of the Church and the translator of the Bible into 4th Century vernacular Latin. It was he who said, “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.”

That’s not the connection, but I can make it to be one. Since St. Jerome essentially said that to know the Bible is to know Christ, and since the Church teaches that Mary brings us to Christ (the essence of Consecration) then we can use a type of Sacred reading by which we ask Mary to ‘open Scripture for us,’ that is, when we prayerfully read Scripture, we pray beforehand to the Blessed Virgin to open our eyes and mind to what Scripture might be telling us. 

The other connection I found was after I searched for “St. Jerome and the Immaculate Heart.” One of the first hits was this  article: “10 Things to Know About the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.”

2. Does the Bible Foretell Mary’s Triumph?

Have you ever seen a statue or painting of the Virgin Mary stepping on a snake? What’s that all about? It is a reference to Genesis 3:15, in which God warns Satan of his ultimate defeat: “I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel” (Gen 3:15). While Protestants suggest that the Hebrew text says “he shall crush your head,” the Catholic interpretation may be closer to the truth.

In simple terms, one Hebrew translation (the medieval Masoretic text) says “he” and two other ancient manuscripts say “she.” St. Jerome (347-420), translator of the Bible into Latin, rendered it as “she.” He was not alone in this interpretation; three of the most respected Jewish scholars of all time, Philo Judaeus (c. 20 B.C.-50 A.D.), Josephus (c. 37-100 A.D.), and Moses Maimonides (1138–1204), all insist that it should be interpreted as “she.” In other words, a woman will crush Satan’s head.

Fast forwarding to the end of the Bible, we find a mysterious confrontation between a woman, ‘clothed with the sun,’ and a great red dragon in the book of Revelation (Rev 12:1-6, 13-17). The dragon pursues the woman who is to give birth to a child who will rule the nations with a ‘rod of iron.’ In the end, the woman is victorious and the dragon is cast down to hell.

A ‘triumph’ suggests a victory over an enemy. These biblical references become more sensible in light of Mary’s prediction at Fátima. Furthermore, it is understood that it is the ultimate humiliation for Satan to be defeated by a woman. In his rage, he makes war “on the rest of her children, those who keep the commandments of God and hold the testimony of Jesus.” (Rev. 12:17) In the end, the devil is squashed under Mary’s heel.

The entire article is rather interesting; while I don’t completely accept the conclusions, especially since it quotes heavily from an unapproved apparition (Fr. Gobbi and the ‘Marian Movement of Priests’,) the part I did quote from is as far as I know, free of error.

Item No. 8 in the article is good: “What Are Ways to Prepare for the Triumph and New Era?”

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